technical diving news and events in thailand
Posts tagged slinn
All I want for Christmas is TECH
Dec 28th
All i want for Christmas is TECH
December 29th, 2009
Big Blue Tech – Technical Diving Thailand – Celebrates the graduation of Ash Dunn, Mark Slinn and Adny Cavell from their TDI Decompression Procedures Course conducted over the past few days off the coast of Thailand on and island called Koh Tao
The TDI Decompression Procedures course is best described by the TDI/SDI website as:
This course began before the christmas break with some new skills to help train the students to a level appropriate for entering the next step. The students will start their next course, TDI Extended Range, on our Similans Islands Liveaboard in the new year.
The highlight of the course was the abundant marine life on every dive. With large 2 meter Bull and Gray Reef Sharks around us during all our dives the excitement of diving was forced back into every sense we had. The sharks at Chumphon Pinnacle Dive Site seem to disapear during some months and then come back in large numbers without warning. Sharks can be seen hunting and stalking prey but always keeping a safe distance from divers. This safety is kept in part from the prevention of shark feeding so no shark has associated food with a diver.
All of the students excelled at their skills and conduct in the water and received their certification after completing a written examination.
Below are some pictures from this event. The next open space for this course is in March 2010
Tags: abundant marine life, cavell, decompression diving, excitement, graduation, gray reef sharks, koh tao, large numbers, open space, pinnacle, sdi, shark feeding, slinn, sport diving, technical diving thailand
BSAC Cross-Over and Instructor Course in Thailand
Dec 26th
BSAC Cross-Over and Instructor Course in Thailand
Sunday, December 20th, 2009
Big Blue Tech has been hosting a BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) instructor and cross-over course for Ash Dunn, Mark Slinn and Andy Cavell who will be working towards their BSAC Open Water Instructor rating.
The course began with an orientation and moved through topics like academic presentations, confined water presentations and open water presentations. BSAC instructor courses are more streamlined focusing on simply the instructors ability to teach diving and doesn’t put emphasis on ability to sell which is a large portion of other instructor courses.
After 2 days Andy Cavell graduated as he is already an experienced instructor (PADI IDC Staff Instructor). After graduating Andy has to wait for the other two lads to finish before more technical training can continue so he picked up some teaching work by conducting a Deep and Nitrox Specialty starting tomorrow.
Ash and Mark continued through the program delivering more presentations and learning the BSAC way of teaching. This course is essential for their upcoming BSAC Instructor course which will be done in February and ther Compressor Operator Instructor course on the 23rd.
The course was conducted by Les Skelton who is BSAC Thailand director and Instructor Trainer.
Congratulations to all those involved and good luck teaching tomorrow Andy!
Tags: academic presentations, ash, british sub aqua club, bsac thailand, cavell, club instructor, instructor course, instructor courses, instructor trainer, open water instructor, skelton, slinn, staff instructor
TDI Intro to Tech completed in Thailand
Dec 17th
Big Blue Tech completed a TDI Intro to Tech course today for Andy Cavell and Mark Slinn who began the first level in water skill development for their technical diver internship.
The TDI Intro to Tech course is the perfect course for divers who have heard about technical diving and want to find out more about this exciting branch of advanced recreational diving. This course walks students through the special techniques, planning procedures and skills that set technical diving apart from traditional sport diving. It will show them how to improve their dive planning methods, in-water skills and streamline their existing gear configuration, in a non-threatening and fun learning environment. The specific skills this course will highlight are: Advanced Buoyancy Control, Gas Management, Situational Awareness, Trim, Gear Configuration and Selection and Many More!
TDI’s Intro to Tech course is a useful stand-alone course for the diver who wants to become a more skilled, more proficient diver regardless of if he intends to move on to technical diving. The course may also be used as an introduction to the TDI Advanced Nitrox course and the TDI Decompression Procedures course. And finally, it is also a good refresher for certified technical divers who may want to refresh their skills or have them re-evaluated by a TDI technical instructor.
Although the students did not need this course to start their official technical diving series it was offered to them to have 4 additional training dives to enhance their overall skills and start with a solid foundation of buoyancy and trim before moving deeper through different challenges in the future.
The course was also completed with the assistance of Ash Dunn who is working towards his technical divemaster certification which requires assisting a variety of technical diving courses.
The students progress on to the TDI Advanced Nitros and TDI Decompression procedures this week along with TDI Gas Blender and TDI Advanced Gas Blender with the use of helium for trimix.
Tags: additional training, buoyancy control, decompression, divemaster certification, diving courses, gas blender, gas management, gear configuration, recreational diving, skill development, slinn, sport diving, students progress, technical diver, technical diving, technical instructor, traditional sport, water skills
Full Face Mask Course in Thailand
Dec 10th
Today Big Blue Tech started a Full Face Mask course on Koh Tao. The Full Face Mask course from TDI is designed to get divers comfortable using a full face mask and understanding the benefits and advantages. The divers who joined the course was Ash Dunn (staff) and Mark Slinn (Intern). Andy Cavell was supposed to join us but instead took his girlfriend fun diving in the afternoon and then he’s leaving to take her back to Bangkok.
The full face mask we use for training is the AGA Divator mask. These masks are the most popular choice of full face mask for public safety divers around the world. One of them came from a dive in the Canadian navy who was kind enough to bring it to Thailand for us.
These masks are perfect for cold water, television or film work, low visibility or chemically sensitive water. The mask covers your entire face allowing you to breathe through your nose or mouth, additionally it helps people who have a cold or any kind of dental, nose or eye problems.
While we were working in shallow water getting used to the skill of removing and replacing the mask other staff were busy loading up for the afternoon of diving and even Emily (big blue staff) came by to give the mask a try.
In the afternoon the staff and interns were busy cleaning the Apeks regulators (xtx 200 series with environmental series) and assembling new equipment recently purchased for the upcoming busy season.
Although today is Thursday, we’ll be closing for a long weekend as Andy Cavell is away in Bangkok, Mark moves into a new flat and Ash is celebrating his Divemaster Graduation (pictures coming).
Big Blue Tech starts again on Monday with the TDI Intro To Tech and Advanced Nitrox Course followed by a trip to Khao Sok National Park for a TDI Cavern Course just before Christmas break.
Tags: aga, apeks regulators, ash, canadian navy, cavell, cold water, eye problems, film work, full face mask, fun diving, interns, khao sok national park, koh tao, masks, nitrox course, shallow water, slinn, tdi